The definition of picayune is trivial or unimportant.
(adjective)A young child having a tantrum about a friend taking her red crayon when another red crayon is within reach is an example of a picayune complaint.
See picayune in Webster's New World College Dictionary
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noun
Origin: Fr picaillon, small coin, halfpenny < Prov picaioun < picaio, money, prob. < pica, to ring, jingle, strike < VL *piccare: see picador
adjective
See picayune in American Heritage Dictionary 4
adjective
Origin:
Origin: Louisiana French picaillon, small coin
Origin: , from French
Origin: , from Provençal picaioun
Origin: , from picaio, money
Origin: , perhaps from Old Provençal piquar, to jingle, clink
Origin: , from Vulgar Latin *piccāre, to pierce; see pique
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